Blame it on the Moon
by beaglelover719
Summary: Hotch finds JJ alone in the moonlight. AU JJ/Hotch fic. Appearance by the rest of the team. Fluffy. Some adult content.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – Not Mine.

A/N – I have a habit of starting new stories when I get stuck on other ones. This is a prime example. Just a little fluff piece that I started a long time ago that I rediscovered and tooled around with. It's a three parter. Unbeta'd - any mistakes are mine. Hope you enjoy. Happy Good Friday.

Hotch frowned as he wondered what had become of his date. It had been over an hour since he'd last seen her, which undoubtedly meant she would probably bitch the whole way home even though coming to this party had been _her_ idea. He had planned on begging off until she'd seen the invitation and proclaimed that it would be good to get out and celebrate with his team. He was pretty sure it had a lot to do with the fact that Rossi was the one throwing the party and as usual his 'events' were known to be both elaborate and more than a little wild. He sighed as he walked past the sliding glass doors wondering once more what the hell he was doing.

He was almost past them when he caught movement out the corner of his eye. Frowning he wondered why JJ was standing outside in the cool evening air. He couldn't help but appreciate the view she presented. Moving on impulse he quickly stepped through the door and made his way over to her. She had her back to him and hadn't heard his approach. As usual, just the sight of her had his pulse kicking up, and on some unknown impulse he decided to say screw it and throw caution to the wind. He could figure out his future later.

"Nice night."

"Jeez, Hotch." Startled, JJ placed a hand against her racing heart.

He moved close to where she stood. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

She wasn't sure what made her leave the festivities. She was restless and not in the mood for a party. She sighed. "I don't know, I just wanted some peace and quiet." She glanced up at the full moon. "It's really beautiful out here."

He didn't' take his eyes off her. "Yes, it is."

JJ glanced over at him then asked a bit incredulous, "Are you flirting with me?"

He lifted a shoulder. "I'm just stating an indisputable truth. You are really beautiful."

JJ blinked and unconsciously leaned forward. "I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be saying that to me."

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable." He inched closer.

JJ's eyes widened sensing what was going to happen, "What are you doing, Hotch?"

"Something I've thought about and wanted to do for years." He didn't give her an opportunity to question his comment as he gathered her close and fused his mouth to hers.

Hotch knew the moment he touched her he'd made a huge miscalculation. Touching her would end up being his downfall. Staying away hadn't been easy in the past and he just made it a thousand times more difficult. Maybe he could blame it on the alcohol he consumed earlier in the evening. Maybe he could claim a touch of insanity. God knew she'd been slowly driving him crazy for years. All he knew for certain was he couldn't help himself, nor did he want to as her involuntary gasp allowed his tongue to invade her mouth. Then he was truly lost. Any thought of trying to apologize or come up with a lame excuse for his actions was abandoned as he completely devoted himself to her mouth. To hell with the consequences. For the first time in years he was truly living.

JJ knew that she should be pushing him away but she couldn't resist him as he gathered her closer still, fitting her body tightly to his. She sighed at the exquisite feeling of being pressed against him. When his tongue swept into her mouth she forgot about even thinking of resisting and wound her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding through his hair at the nape of his neck. Jesus, who knew the man could kiss like this?

Hotch groaned as he felt the shift in her response from being taken by surprise to actual participation in the kiss. He felt his body go stiff as her hand slid down his back and over his ass. It was his turn to gasp as she boldly squeezed his butt cheek. Her action emboldened him to let his hands do a little wandering themselves as his mouth continue to nip and plunder hers.

"Jayje?" They both froze as the voice floated out to them on the terrace. "Hey Jayje, where'd you go, girlfriend?" Hotch maneuvered them into the shadows as Penelope Garcia continued to search for her friend. They stood frozen as the threat finally disappeared.

JJ stared wide eyed at the man she'd secretly fantasized over for years. "Um, Hotch?" She looked down pointedly at the large hand that was splayed across her breast.

Hotch looked down at her through glazed eyes. "Oh, sorry." The apology was automatic. He was anything but. He moved his hand slightly causing the nipple to pucker and his gaze snapped back to the woman he still held. "Aw, hell." Fascinated by the response his thumb brushed the distended appendage again as he watched the evident desire flare in JJ's eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She questioned as he rolled the sensitive tip under his fingers.

"Living out my fantasy." His hand moved quickly under the shirt she wore, then slid under her bra and he was suddenly cupping her bare breast. "Je-sus." He wasn't sure when he reverted to a teenage boy but he was pretty sure that he was about to embarrass himself.

"I – oh God." She broke off as he caressed her breast, completely enthralled in the response her body was giving him. "Aaron." She used his name to try to get his attention. She got more than she bargained for as he pulled her to him once more his mouth demanding, his hands molding her body. She couldn't believe the liberties she was allowing him. All she knew was that she didn't want it or him to stop.

They were lost in a tangle of limbs when a new voice carried up to them on the wind. "I haven't seen Aaron all night either." They both froze once more at the voice from the patio below.

"Maybe he and JJ slipped off together." Pen snorted, then obviously thinking better about the remark she quickly added. "You know, just to talk about work and stuff."

"I certainly wouldn't expect them to be doing anything else." Beth commented wryly.

"Yeah, we're talking about Hotch. Not Rossi." Derek Morgan laughed.

"Hey what are you guys doing out here?" Emily Prentiss could be heard asking.

"We're wondering where Hotch and JJ got to have you seen either of them?" Morgan questioned.

"Ooh, maybe they finally gave in to all those pent up desires and they are off balling each other's brains…." Her voice suddenly trailed off. "Oh hey, Beth, I uh, didn't see you there."

"Obviously."

"I was just kidding." She gave a fake little laugh. "I mean JJ and Hotch? Pffft. That would _so_ never happen. Wow. Does anyone else need a refill?" She finished lamely.

"I don't know what I'm thinking, I'll just call his cell." Beth announced, her voice fading as she most likely moved back in to the house.

"Oh, hey, that's a good idea." Pen praised, trailing after her, shooting both her friends a look.

"Hey thanks for the heads up, asshole." Emily could be heard growling at Morgan.

"I couldn't have stopped you even if I wanted to. I wish I'd had a camera when you noticed Beth." He chuckled. "It was almost as funny as the idea of Hotch and JJ."

"Please. I just can't wait to say I told you so." Emily huffed out a breath before giving in and joining a still laughing Derek. "God, I hope Hotch wasn't planning on getting lucky tonight because I think I might have just ruined those plans. Although come to think of it maybe he should thank me."

"I thought you were convinced he was off somewhere knocking boots with JJ?"

"Please they are both way too conservative to actually do something like that. He'll have to continue to bed Beth while he stoically dreams of JJ." Emily scoffed. "But mark my words, one day they are going to collide and the rest will be history."

"Gee, you almost have me believing that you're a romantic, Princess." Morgan chided.

"Whatever. I call them like I see them."

"O-kay." The disagreement in her assessment was evident.

"I cannot wait to tell you I told you so."

"Really?" His voice clearly showed his surprise at her comment.

There was a moment of quiet before Emily sighed loudly. "Yeah, I just, I don't know. I think the two of them work really well together. I sincerely think they would be good together. I truly think they are both mutually interested. If only they would act on it."

The conversation came to an abrupt end as Penelope rejoined them. "Are you two coming in? Hotch's phone is apparently off and now Beth has it in her head that maybe he is off boinking JJ." She hissed. "Thank you, Emily Prentiss."

Sounds faded and the two on the upper balcony broke apart nervously.

JJ couldn't meet his eye. "You should probably go find Beth." She said quietly.

"JJ." Hotch's voice was pleading.

She shook her head but still wouldn't look at him. "We can just attribute this to a full moon."

He watched as she folded her arms around herself tightly. He knew instinctively that now was not the time to push it. "Sure. If that's what you want." His hand reached out and squeezed her elbow slightly. She wasn't expecting the touch and jumped, her eyes finally lifted and he quickly added. "But I think you should know, I completely agree with Prentiss."

The corner of her mouth tilted slightly. "Yeah, me too, Morgan really can be an asshole."

An answering grin split his face. He was just about to comment when the door opened up.

"Aaron, are you out here?" Her annoyance was coming through loud and clear.

Hotch sighed as JJ mouthed the word 'Go!" to him. "Fine." Acting on pure impulse he leaned in and once more lightly touch his mouth to hers in a soft kiss. "But this isn't over." He warned softly. Then stepping out of the shadows he reluctantly responded to the woman that called out to him.

"Where have you been hiding?" The agitation in her voice was clear.

"I haven't been hiding." He scrubbed a hand over his face wishing he could just say to hell with everything and run back to the secluded corner he just left. "I was just..."

"It's a party, you should be mingling." She cut him off, looping her arm through his and pulling him towards the glass doors.

"I don't mingle." He shot a parting look of longing over his shoulder as she shepherded him into the house.

JJ let out a sigh as the she listened to the sounds of the door closing and their conversation fading. She looked up at the full moon not sure whether she was thankful or not for the interruptions. She leaned against the railing for support.

"Rossi said this room had a spectacular view. He wasn't kidding."

"SPENCE!" JJ spun around noticing for the first time that the hidden corner she was in belonged to a room with yet another set of sliding glass doors. Her friend was watching her intently from the threshold.

"I had a migraine. Dave suggested that I try to lie down in a dark room. The door was cracked to give me some fresh air. I wasn't deliberately spying on you. I, um, couldn't help what I saw."

"Oh. Right." JJ bit her lip not sure what to do or say hoping that the shadows hide the flame riding her cheeks. "How's your headache?" Avoidance was always good.

"Not much better." He studied her curiously. "What are you doing, JJ?"

He obviously wasn't going to let her evade an interrogation. "Aw, Spence, can't you just forget you saw anything?"

"I wish I could. Believe me. I was pretty sure you were going to have sex right here on the balcony." He watched as she bit her lip once more.

Embarrassed beyond belief she moaned. "Damn it, Spence, haven't you ever gotten carried away?"

"Not only is Hotch your boss JJ, he's in a relationship." There was no censure in his voice just a statement of the facts.

JJ sighed, deflated by his verbal accounting of the obstacles she knew all too well stood in the way of anything happening with Aaron Hotchner. "Thank you, Spence, tell me something I don't know." She said dejectedly.

He appeared to take the statement as a challenge and did just that. "I think Hotch has feelings for you."

"_Spence_." She didn't want him to lie to her in order to make her feel better. She knew that nothing could ever come of the feelings she felt for the man she had admired from the day she began working for the BAU.

The younger man shook his head. "No, honestly, there were times in the past that I've wondered but other things happened and I convinced myself that I was reading into things." He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "You know I'm not all that clever when it comes to relationships between men and women."

JJ rolled her eyes. "I'm sure…"

He interrupted her sensing what her argument would be. "Hotch is concerned about all of us, that's one of the qualities that makes him a good leader, but he looks after you especially."

"I don't think…"

"There are times when he doesn't think anyone is watching when he looks at you almost wistfully. The first time I really recognized it was when Will showed up in New York and announced your pregnancy. But that wasn't the first time I'd seen it, and it certainly wasn't the last."

JJ swallowed hard. She had always wondered about Hotch's reaction to Will's untimely announcement but things had spiraled out of control so quickly and she never questioned it. It was too late to wonder what if now. She said as much to Reid. "Well, like you said, he's in a relationship."

Reid shrugged. "And if he wasn't?"

She blinked not expecting the question. What _would_ she do if he were single? She thought back to the electric moments they just shared and flushed. She had a pretty good idea what she'd like do. She sighed and shook her head at the thought. "That's irrelevant."

"I don't think so. You know, Hotch is a pretty straightforward guy."

JJ frowned not sure what he was getting at. He didn't keep her in suspense and quickly came to the point.

"I don't think he can kiss you like he was and remain in a relationship with another woman. In fact, I'd be very surprised if he did."

"It was just a kiss, Spence." JJ scoffed.

"Again, I'm no expert, but that was _not_ just a kiss. I saw you. There was groping, it was…" He paused looking for the right word. "Hot. Combustible." He made meshing motions with his hands. "Seconds away from penetration." He mumbled.

JJ groaned and covered her face with her hands. "You're killing me here, Spence."

"Sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

A bubble of laughter escaped. "Then can you please stop talking?"

Ever the gentleman Reid obliged her. "Sure, what do you say we go find ourselves a drink?"

"Yeah, I could use a drink or ten." JJ responded with a smile. She was determined to put on a smiling face until she could come up with a good enough excuse to bail. Then she was going to go home and indulge in a good cry. The last thing she planned on was coming face to face with Hotch's date the moment she and Reid stepped out of the room.

It was obvious by the wide eyes and smile what she had deduced. "Oh, well, I guess that explains _that_ mystery." The annoyingly bubbly brunette chuckled, shouting out to Pen that the missing JJ had been located and bringing the eyes of all the guests to the pair.

"That'll cure any headache." Rossi exclaimed with a wink and a raised glass.

Reid frowned at the comment and turned to JJ for enlightenment.

"They think you and I were having sex." She explained.

The look on his face at the suggestion would have probably offended another woman. "Together?"

JJ turned to Beth. "I was sitting with Spence, he has a migraine. I was just keeping him company. I wasn't aware I was missed."

"Oh I didn't miss you, Penelope did." With that the woman flounced away.

"I really don't regret almost having sex with her boyfriend and if I ever get the chance I'm totally going to do it." JJ hissed to Reid. "Twice."

"WHAT!"

JJ turned around to find a stunned Emily, Morgan and Penelope standing behind her. Well, Pen was stunned. Emily was positively gleeful and Morgan was initially dumbstruck. "I think you need to clarify that statement Missy." He latched on to her arm and pulled her back into the room she'd just exited.

"Uh, you know you're not my father, Morgan." JJ grumbled, shaking free of his hold.

"I knew I was going to get to say I told you so!" Emily proclaimed. "I told you so, I told you so!" She chanted in glee all the while doing a happy dance. "Man, I feel so smug right now."

JJ couldn't help but grin at her idiot friend. "Shut up."

"Jennifer Jareau what were you thinking?" Garcia demanded hands fisted on hips. When she didn't immediately respond she huffed. "Well, I'm waiting."

She looked to Reid for support. "I'm just going to lie back down." He stated, moving towards the bed.

JJ looked at the expectant faces waiting for an answer. "To be fair he kissed me first."

"I knew it!" Emily squealed.

"SHUT UP!" This time the command came in stereo.

"I'm not sure what the big deal is." JJ mumbled under her breath.

"You clearly stated that you almost had sex." Morgan stated looking down at her.

JJ rolled her eyes. "I was angry. That was an _extreme_ exaggeration."

"Oh, it was pretty accurate from what I saw." Reid commented from the bed.

"What, were you watching?" Morgan asked in horror.

"Not on purpose." Reid defended.

"This is ridiculous. It certainly doesn't call for an intervention." JJ growled staring at her three coworkers. "I'm an adult. Hotch is an adult. Anything that happened or almost happened isn't any of your business." She shrugged before adding. "But honestly, nothing really happened and it's not going to lead to anything so I suggest you all forget about it. That's what I plan on doing." With that she strode to the door and flounced out of the room leaving them in stunned silence.

Morgan was the first to recover. "Oh damn. Baby girl is totally smitten with the boss." He announced to the quieted room.

"At the risk of repeating myself I TOLD YOU SO." Emily sneered.

Garcia stood with an open mouth. "How did I miss that?" That only lasted a second before she zeroed in on Reid. "What do you know?"

"What do I know?" He repeated with a squeak.

"You are the voyeur." Morgan pointed out.

"Not intentionally." Reid protested then sighed as they stood waiting for him to tell them what he'd witnessed. "I was getting ready to go and talk to her. She was standing at the railing then out of nowhere Hotch is gliding up on her and kissing her like both of their lives depended on it."

Garcia frowned. "She didn't even try to push him away?"

He thought for a second before answering. "It seemed like she hesitated for a second then they just..." He made an explosion gesture with his hands. "They stopped for a moment and I thought they were going to break it up but I think they were just catching their breath and getting out of line of sight."

"Not everybody's line of sight." Emily snickered. "Sorry. Well, I think we all know what we need to do." When the other three just stood looking at her she sighed. "We need to get rid of Beth."

"What!" Both Garcia and Morgan looked at her like she'd gone nuts.

"Oh relax! I'm not suggesting we off her, we just need to convince her there are far better fish in the sea than Aaron Hotchner."

"That will be a hard sell. She's over thirty and she's already got that fish in her net." Morgan reminded her.

"But what if we dangled a prettier fish in front of her?" Emily suggested, batting her eyes at Derek.

"Not happening." He told her plainly.

"We could always recruit Rossi he's a pro at screwing up relationships." Garcia added helpfully.

"Or we could just let it run its course naturally." Reid suggested. "Hotch is more than capable of handling this on his own without our assistance." His rational suggestion fell on deaf ears as the trio went in search of Rossi.

"You want me to what?" The man bellowed, causing more than a few heads to turn their direction.

"Relax we're not saying you have to sleep with her." Emily stated.

"Gee, thanks." He replied sarcastically. "Now why would I willingly ruin the best friendship I've ever had?"

"You're not going to ruin it. Hotch will thank you." Garcia predicted, looking around for the couple in question. "Hey, where are Hotch and Beth?"

"They left." JJ announced coming up to join them. "She was eager to get Hotch to bed." She drank the contents of the glass she held in one gulp before pouring a fresh one from the bottle she held firmly in her other hand. "Apparently we're pals now and she felt comfortable sharing that with me." She lifted her refilled glass. "She was _delightfully_ open. For example, did you know that Hotch is great in bed? He's a real tiger. Her words, not mine, because you know, I wouldn't know." She downed the contents of her glass as her friends watched.

"He really left?" Emily asked, glancing around the room, almost as deflated as JJ was.

"Good for him." Rossi chuckled, not yet knowing what they others knew. "The man could stand to get laid. He seemed more uptight than usual this evening."

"And on that note, I'll be at the bar." JJ turned on her heel and strode away still clutching a bottle.

"We have got to fix this." Garcia stated, watching her friend walk away.

"How?" Morgan asked, looking around the group to see if anyone had any ideas.

Rossi frowned. "Why do I feel like there is something going on that I'm not aware of?"

Reid sighed. "Garcia and I will get JJ a cup of coffee you two bring Rossi up to date." With that he made a beeline for the woman he considered like a sister.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Blame it on the Moon – Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Not Mine

A/N – Here is the second part. Sorry but this is all just Hotch and Beth – well JJ shows up at the end… Hope you enjoy.

They were in the car on their way home. Hotch couldn't focus. All he could think about was JJ. He kept picturing her standing on the deck bathed in moonlight, then in his arms. He let out a heavy sigh remembering her face when they'd separated. She should have slapped him, but she hadn't. She clearly decided they'd both been swept up in something neither could deny and she chose not to hold him accountable. He shook his head. Touching her had clearly been a mistake.

"They would make a cute couple though, don't you think?"

He frowned wondering what Beth was yammering on about. "I'm sorry, what?"

She let out a long suffering sigh. "JJ and Spencer."

His senses perked up. "What about JJ and Reid?"

"I swear you haven't heard a word I've been saying. She was with him in the bedroom right after we found you. She said she was just sitting with him because he had a headache but her lips were all swollen."

"What?"

"Her lips were swollen." She repeated slowly. "You know, like they get when you've been thoroughly kissed. I guess maybe they want to keep it a secret. They do look cute together though, huh?" She repeated.

"No." He bit the word out wondering if he left her to deal with Reid on her own. If he had been inside the room where he and JJ had, what had they done? Kissed? Made out? A small dreamy smile lit his face. He'd stolen second and had been on his way to third. Christ he had to stop thinking about it he was making himself uncomfortable.

"You know, I just don't know what's going on with you. You drag me to a party with people I hardly know then you just disappear and now you've gone silent again." She let out another long suffering sigh. "Aaron, are you even listening to me?"

"I heard you." Heck the neighboring car probably heard her.

"Well?"

"I chose not to comment."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" She demanded to know.

"Well, you found the invite. You wanted to go the party. Not me." He reminded her. "I wanted to stay home." He was glad that he hadn't but he wasn't about to tell that to her.

"Well I would have stayed home if I knew you were going to ignore me all evening. I didn't travel all the way from New York to spend the evening by myself." She stated angrily.

Hotch frowned and looked over at her remembering what he had been thinking before he spotted JJ. "What are we doing, Beth?"

The question and the tone had her pausing, her own pitch lost its bite. "What do you mean?"

"Just that. What are we doing? We see each other maybe once a month and we either spend the time having sex or arguing. Lately it's been more the later."

The charge had her growling. "Whose fault is that?"

Hotch shrugged and answered truthfully. "I don't know. Probably mine. I think I wanted something that just isn't there."

The statement was so simple and honest it stopped her cold. "Oh." She looked at his profile. "Wow. Are we breaking up? Are you breaking up with me?"

He turned once more and looked at her somberly. "I think it's probably best for both of us." He sighed as tears flooded her eyes. "I think we both want and need things from this relationship that just aren't there."

"What do you need that I can't give you?" She wondered in a small voice, sad and hurt that he might find her lacking.

"Beth, it's more me than…"

She didn't give him an opportunity to finish his sentence. "Please do not give me that crap line it's not you it's me. If you're breaking up with me do me the decency of being honest with me." She demanded.

Hotch nodded. "I am trying to be honest. It is me. There are times when I need quiet and understanding. I need to be reflective."

"And I don't give you that." She wiped at a lone tear that made its way down her cheek. "I don't." She agreed. "I always assumed that you needed someone to pull you out of your shell so you didn't get stuck there but that's not what you need. I'm sorry, Aaron."

"I didn't say that to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. But I do want to be honest with you. You deserve that much and more." He wasn't sure he could feel like more of a heel. It wasn't her fault that she was the way she was. He initially found those attributes attractive. "You need a man that appreciates your vivaciousness."

"The curator at the museum asked me out." The confession was blurted from her lips.

Hotch raised a brow as he tried to remember what she had said about him. "The new guy?" She nodded. "Do you want to go out with him?" He asked gently.

"No." Her refusal was weak. "Maybe. I don't know. He flusters me."

Hotch chuckled feeling relieved, but definitely not jealous, at the news. "Flustering is good, Beth." They were stopped at a light and he turned to smile at her. "He wouldn't fluster you if you weren't interested." He told her gently.

"This is weird. I just told JJ that I couldn't wait to get you home and in bed and now we're talking about me dating another man." She watched as he lost his smile and went a shade of white. "What? What's wrong?" She recalled the comments Emily made earlier in the night. Her mouth opened in stunned surprise. "Oh my gosh she was right!"

He wondered how she had taken Beth's pronouncement. Did she think he could easily go from one woman to the next? "Who was right, JJ?"

The car behind him blew their horn. "The light is green." She told him unnecessarily.

"What did she say?" Apparently he was a glutton for punishment because he wanted to know her reaction. Did she even care? Maybe she wasn't interested in him. Maybe it was just the moon.

"Aaron, the light is green."

"What?" The car behind him laid on the horn. "Oh."

Beth wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He looked so gosh darn forlorn that she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Should I be angry?" She questioned softly.

"About?"

"I think there is a little more going on here than you're telling me." She wanted him to admit he had feelings for his coworker.

Hotch let out a sigh and confessed. "I kissed JJ tonight."

Even though she suspected something the confirmation still hurt. "Oh. Wow. Okay." She couldn't stop the flood of moisture that coated her eyes.

Hotch winced. "I know. I'm a giant asshole. I'm so sorry."

She couldn't help but recall the woman's bee stung lips. "It was you."

He nodded and then blurted out. "She was out on the deck and I was just going to go and talk to her and let her know I was there for her if she needed anything and the next thing I knew I was kissing her." He didn't know how to explain what drove him to behave the way he had. He didn't know how to explain that he couldn't have stopped himself if he'd wanted to.

She stared at him for a minute. "Because it was something you've always wanted to do." She said simply.

"Yes." He looked at her sadly and said again softly, "Yes."

It was Beth's turn to sigh as intuition hit. "You're in love with her."

He wanted to deny it but he couldn't. "Probably."

He looked so miserable she couldn't help herself. "I had coffee with Mark." She said softly, then added with a glint in her eye. "It wasn't a date and he didn't' kiss me. Although, I really feel like I probably should have let him now."

Hotch let out a chuckle as he pulled in the drive. "I am really sorry."

She knew him well enough to believe his apology. "Let me grab my bag and you can drop me at my mother's before you head back to Rossi's." She told him as she opened the car door.

He followed her out of the car. "What?" He frowned at her as he moved to open the front door.

"You need to go back." She moved quickly to gather her belongings and gave a last sad look around the room when she'd completed the task.

"Why do I need to go back?" He asked when she arrived back downstairs.

"Because I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about you." She'd seen the pain flash in the other woman's eyes when she mentioned going home and having sex. She'd written it off to JJ being a little jealous that she didn't have anyone and at the time she'd felt a little smug. She had always felt a little threatened by Aaron's relationship with JJ. Obviously for good reason.

"Is that likely to change if I don't go back tonight? Should I give her time to process what happened? Figure out what I should do?" He needed time to consider what his next course of action should be. Failure to plan was what got him in the mess he was currently in.

Beth placed a hand on both arms and squeezed. "She thinks you went home to have sex with me. She might want to find someone to help her get through the night herself."

The mere suggestion shocked him. JJ wouldn't do that. She wasn't like that.

Beth could see the doubt in his expression so she helped him get some perspective. "Aaron, if she thinks there is no future for the two of you what is stopping her from finding a little comfort where she can?"

"She can't do that!" The thought was reprehensible.

"She can and she might." She wouldn't be the first woman to do so.

"The hell she can!" Hotch reached for his cell and hit a button. He grew frustrated as it only continued to ring. Cursing fluently he disconnected and hit another button only to suffer through the same treatment. "You have got to be kidding me! They are supposed to answer their phones when I call."

"Aren't you on stand down?" Beth reminded him calmly.

"That's irrelevant!" He growled as he continued to try to ring his team.

Beth reached over and squeezed his forearm. "Okay, quit picturing her naked under another man and take a breath."

He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I wasn't picturing _that_ until you suggested it!"

"I know, it was kind of rotten of me to say that but you do kind of deserve it." She took the keys from his hand. "I'll drive. You keep trying to get a hold of someone. I'm sure there is a perfectly good reason they aren't answering their phones."

"Maybe because one of them is helping her take her mind off me." He gripped the phone tightly as yet another of his team refused to answer his call. "You said yourself that she and Reid made a cute couple."

Beth nodded. "Yes, but that was before I knew all the facts. Let's think this through. Reid's probably not answering because he's trying to get rid of his headache."

The scenario seemed plausible to Hotch. "He does get bad migraines. He might be indisposed."

"I'm sure you're right." She reversed the car and pointed it in the direction they just came from. "Just calm down."

"Well that still leaves Morgan and Rossi." He sneered as he said the older man's name. "Rossi has appreciated her assets from day one." His nostrils flared in remembrance. "I'm not talking about her profiling ability either."

"I didn't think you were." Beth chuckled.

"That's probably the exact kind of man she'd want. No strings. He's got a reputation as a ladies man." He could picture Rossi romancing JJ. "If you had to have sex with any of them who would you pick?"

She giggled at the absurdity of it. "You realize you're being a little ridiculous."

He waved his hand in the air. "Yeah, sure. Which one?"

She appeared to be giving it some serious thought. Then she asked. "Well if I'm having a fling why do I have to pick only one? They're all attractive in their own way."

He glared over at her. "You have a serious mean streak."

She grinned. "I'm not sure how I kept it hidden so long. It's probably best that you dumped me."

He stopped looking at his phone to stare at her. "Ah geez. I really am a jerk."

"Well you're not as perfect as I'd once imagined." She chuckled. "It's nice to know you're flawed too."

"I can't believe that anyone would think I was perfect." Hotch scoffed at the absurdity of it.

Beth gave a serene smile. "At the time you were. You were exactly what I needed." It had been a rough time for her after the passing of her father and Hotch had been a balm. The relationship had been sweet and easy. Non-complicated. That was probably the first true sign that it was faulted. No relationship is perfect.

They were both quiet and reflective for a time before she spoke up again. "I really hate to let you off the hook so easily." She pierced him with a look before blowing out a breath. "But you know, we would have probably split a lot sooner if we didn't have a long distance relationship."

He nodded. "It was too easy."

She shook her head. "It was too insignificant. Neither of us made it a priority." She lifted a shoulder. "We made time for it when it suited us and just ignored it when it didn't." She reached over for his hand. "We were both guilty of that."

"So. Tell me about Mark." Hotch asked. "You want me to run a background on him?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "He's a nice guy. He's into art like I am, he doesn't spend his days chasing weirdos."

"That's a definite plus."

"Yes and no, there's no badge or gun either." She gave him a dimpled smile. "Although it is a hot look."

"Well sure but I've heard that a sweater vest and tweed jacket can also be appealing." They shared a laugh over the absurdity of the comment before he sobered and said sincerely. "You know I wish you nothing but the best."

She dimpled back at him. "Well it's a little early to know if he's the one but I'll keep you posted."

He was humbled by the way she handled everything. "We can still be friends?"

"I think I'd like that." She smiled as they turned into the lit drive and cautioned him. "Don't do anything stupid or cave man like if there is another man hanging around her."

He ran his suddenly damp palms over his jeans. "Define stupid." He joked, watching the house appear through the trees as his heart began to race.

"Talk first, act later. Don't just kiss her senseless, let her know how you feel about her. Make sure she knows that you're coming to her a single man." She sensed that fact would be key. "Don't assume she knows what is going on in your head."

He nodded to indicate he'd heard her comments. "Then I can kiss her senseless?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "Sure." She pulled in front of the house and came to a stop. "I'm taking your car. I'm going to assume that you can get a ride."

He lifted his hand showing her his crossed fingers then added a little uncertainly. "Worse case I can crash with Dave."

She had a feeling that wouldn't be the case. "Good luck."

Hotch leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "You know you really are great."

Beth smiled as they separated she looked past him to the well-lit atrium and groaned. "Aaron, don't freak out but JJ just witnessed our goodbye."

The blonde stood her ground though as if the sight didn't bother her.

He watched as she gave them a slight smile that failed to reach her eyes before turning away. "Shit she'd probably going to misinterpret that. She's going to think we resolved whatever issues we had and we're making up. She's going to…"

"Leave if you don't get your ass out of the car and talk to her." Beth urged him with a gentle shove, prompting him into action.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Blame it on the Moon – Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine.**

**A/N - Unbeta'd mistakes are all mine. **

Hotch caught up with her in time to see her pull a wrap from her car. She hadn't been leaving. "JJ."

She spun around in surprise not having realized that he had followed her. "Why are you following me?" She demanded.

She was angry, that much was clearly evident. It threw him and made him falter slightly. "We, uh, we need to talk." When she only glared at him he thought to explain why they needed to talk. "We need to discuss what happened tonight."

"What happened?" She shrugged. "Nothing happened. I don't think we need to waste any time analyzing a simple kiss. I apologize for letting it happen. The moon was shining down and we both lost our heads for a moment. It happens." She lifted her shoulder and let it drop before going for the kill. "You know, I think I just needed to feel alive. It could have been anyone on that deck with me."

He blinked at her comment. "Anyone?" He repeated in a strangled tone.

"Well I don't make a habit of it if that's what you're implying." She snapped back.

"Well I guess that's something." He stated flippantly.

His tone made her even angrier. "Don't you judge me. It's not like _I'm_ the one in a relationship." She glanced back to the still parked Beth. "Is that what this is about? You spent the last forty five minutes in your car telling your girlfriend how sorry you were and it would never happen again so you came over here to share that little tidbit with me? Well don't worry. I _know_ it's never going to happen again." She started to move around him. "Get over yourself."

For a moment all he could do was stare until it hit him. She wasn't pissed, well not entirely, she was jealous! The realization empowered him. "Actually you have it all wrong." He informed her calmly.

That drew her up short. "Whatever. I have eyes you know, I caught your little makeup kiss." She realized that she sounded jealous and quickly added. "And I think that's great because what happened between us was an anomaly that will never happen again and you shouldn't ruin a perfectly good relationship over it."

He grinned slightly as he inched towards her. "You are sadly misinformed if you think _that_ was a makeup kiss but we will get in to that later. What you actually just witnessed was a goodbye kiss. I spent the last, what did you say forty five minutes?" He considered it and agreed. "Sure, roughly. I spent that time explaining to Beth that I kissed another woman this evening, and I had strong feelings for that other woman."

Her chin jutted out as she defiantly crossed her arms. "Well that was just stupid."

He sighed and agreed, "You got me there. I can admittedly quite often be stupid. I'm not very good at relationships." He gave her a long look. "You're going to have to be patient with me."

His comment had her frowning up at him in adorable confusion. But before she could say anything he continued. "Did you know that when I met Beth she reminded me a lot of Haley?" It was the first time he admitted that fact to anyone. "Haley when I first met her." He clarified. "She was confident, carefree, young and full of life. All the things Haley was before I ruined her."

JJ's mouth dropped and she was quick to defend him. "You did not ruin Haley."

He gave her a slight smile. "We were both so young and naïve, not to mention ridiculously idealistic when we married. I wanted to change the world. I wanted to make it a better place."

"And you have."

He smiled briefly at her championing and continued speaking. "Over time my desire to save the world overshadowed everything else, including my marriage. We grew apart, my wife became angry and well, you know how the story ends." He finished sadly.

"But Aaron that wasn't your fault. You are not responsible for what happened." JJ protested.

"It was because of me that he targeted my family." He had made peace with that undeniable fact, but he also knew it to be an undeniably true statement.

"I understand that, but surely you realize it could have been anyone that he fixated on."

He did, which eventually had helped him in dealing with it. "I do, JJ, but it wasn't anyone, it _was_ me and it took me a long time to come to terms with everything. It's no good having regrets when there is nothing you can do to undo the damage. I understand that I couldn't have repaired my marriage, it was over, but I would have liked to have been able repair the relationship I had with Haley. With Beth it felt like I was given that opportunity."

JJ gave him a small sad smile. "Then I'm glad for you. You know, I am happy that you're happy. I want for you to be happy."

He reached out and took hold of her hand knowing that she still didn't understand what he needed to tell her. "The thing is my relationship with Beth was always doomed to follow the same path as my relationship with Haley."

She frowned thinking she played a part in ruining his relationship. "Don't be absurd. It was just a kiss, you can fix it."

Hotch shook his head. "You're not hearing me, JJ. There is nothing to fix." He squeezed the hand he still held. "I don't want to fix anything. Beth is a nice lady but she's just not the one for me." He stepped closer. "We both realized that neither of us was really vested in this relationship."

JJ gave him a look of pure disbelief. "Oh please she couldn't wait to get you home to bed." She scoffed.

Hotch winced not sure what to say before shrugging. "Well we had a mutually satisfying sexual relationship."

JJ glared at him, really not wanting to be having this conversation. "Oh, I know how satisfied Beth was. She made a point of telling me."

Hotch wasn't sure how they'd gotten to where they were. All he had wanted to do was let JJ know that his relationship with Beth had been cathartic to him but he hadn't been in love with her. "JJ, you uh, don't have to be in love with a person to have good sex." He informed her stupidly.

"Oh, well that's good to know." She attempted to move around him once again. "I haven't had sex since my divorce. I won't be so picky when looking for my next partner."

He reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm as she passed him. "Wait. Please. I'm saying this all wrong."

"Oh no, I totally get what you're saying. I almost got a lot more tonight on the balcony since you obviously subscribe to the 'if it feels good, do it' theory."

Hotch reared back as if slapped and JJ realized she'd gone too far.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I know that you would never…" Her words faltered as her eyes filled and her throat closed up.

"What I'm trying to say was that Beth and I had a nice, simple, uncomplicated relationship. I care about her very much." Hotch said softly.

JJ nodded. "I know you do. Of course you do, you're perfect for one another." The words almost choked her.

"But I don't love her." That brought her head up. "Sure, I thought I did. Being with Beth was easy. It was easy because there was nothing too complicated to mess it up."

"Beth loves you Aaron."

Hotch nodded. "I think she does. About as much as I love her. But the thing is neither of us is in love with one another. I realized that this evening. We both realized that this evening."

She knew what he was implying. It made her nerves kick in. "Don't be ridiculous. Don't throw away your entire relationship because of a simple kiss."

"JJ, there was nothing simple about it." He moved closer and backed her up into her car. "Are you going to tell me that you didn't feel anything?"

She blinked up at him. "No. I – no, it was nice."

"Nice?" He stepped in closer still. "That's all it was to you?"

"I just think you might be overreacting. I wouldn't want you to do anything hasty."

"Like end a relationship?" He questioned knowing exactly what she was thinking for once.

She nodded. "Right, like that."

"JJ I didn't kiss you to get out of a relationship. I kissed you because I wanted to. I was being honest when I admitted that I've wanted to for a long time. Tonight when I saw you, I was drawn to you, and I just couldn't resist kissing you. I knew it was wrong of me and I was being a selfish ass but I saw you and I was so tired of fighting how I feel."

"Oh." He was so sincere she couldn't help but to melt just a bit.

"And I didn't want to stop at a kiss." He told her boldly.

Just as it had earlier her libido kicked into overdrive. "Oh." She involuntarily licked her lips drawing his attention there.

"I'm going to do it again unless you have a problem with it." He slid his arm around her waist and drew her to him.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. Are you sure…" Whatever she was going to say was lost as his mouth descended on hers. His other arm wrapped around her, his hand moving to the back of her head, his fingers intertwining with her hair.

The kiss was every bit as potent as the one that started it earlier and heated up just as quickly. He poured every ounce of emotion he could into the kiss wanting to clearly demonstrate his desire for her. It was a good thing he was holding her as tightly as he was because her knees went weak.

"I…wow." JJ let out a little chuckle and attempted to get her composure. This side of Aaron Hotchner was completely foreign to her. She liked it as much as she did everything else about him. Now she really wished she hadn't knocked back all the alcohol that she had. It, combined with Hotch, was really working a number on her. She lifted a hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" Hotch's voice was gentle as he looked down at her.

JJ blinked and focused on his eyes. His concern was evident. It made her confess. "I may have had a few drinks when you left and combined with you getting me all worked up I'm not sure if I want to pass out or throw up."

"Well, I can't say I ever recall eliciting that response in a woman before." Hotch said dryly, brushing several strands of hair from her face.

JJ sighed and leaned forward, resting her head against his chest. "I kept picturing you and Beth naked, intertwined with one another. I needed to do something to escape the visual."

"The thought bothered you that much?" There was a touch of wonder in his voice as if he couldn't believe what she was saying.

JJ snuggled even further into his chest, reluctant to move. "I think my response to you earlier this evening should have been a pretty good indication of the fact that I'm not immune to your charms. You could probably even go so far as to surmise that I kind of like you. Very much."

Hotch let out a shaky sigh and tightened his hold on her. "I don't like to make assumptions."

"So what now?"

He grinned. "Well, I do need a ride home."

"You don't have a habit of going to parties with one woman and leaving with another, do you?"

"I can honestly say this is the first time it's ever happened." He reached for her hand. "I can't believe I almost didn't come tonight. I wouldn't have if Beth hadn't found the invitation."

"I think I may start liking Beth now." She pushed off of the car. "I need to go back into the house and get my purse." She looked at their joined hands. "You should probably know that the team knows."

"The team knows what?"

"Everything." She said with a wince. "Reid was in the room connected to the balcony that we were on."

He grimaced, he hadn't made the connection when Beth told him JJ and Reid exited a room together. "He saw us?"

"Oh yeah. Then when Beth jumped to the conclusion that Reid and I were the ones getting busy I may have made a comment that was overheard by Pen, Derek and Em." She waited as he digested that bit of news.

Hotch finally shrugged. "It's not like they wouldn't have known eventually, right?"

JJ frowned slightly and stopped their forward progress. "This is going to change everything. Are you sure that's what you want?" She questioned softly. "Because we can walk away from this right now and forget it ever happened."

"I'm not looking for an out, JJ. You might be able to walk away and you might want to." He stated looking at her steadily. "If you do I will respect your decision. I won't be happy about it, but I will. I've admired you and have been attracted to you for a long time. I want tonight to be the start of something. I think we have the potential to have something wonderful."

She moved in to him and leaned up, pressing her mouth to his. She sighed into his mouth as he pulled her closer and increased the intensity of the kiss. They were both slightly out of breath and starry eyed when it ended. "Just so you know, I'm going to hold you to that. I've heard that change can be a good thing." She gave him a luminous smile.

"So who do you want to work for, Dave or Morgan?" He asked as they moved towards the house.

"Are those my only choices?" She asked with a pout.

"They are the best ones I have available at the moment."

They entered the house to find their friends deep in discussion. "We can't just not do anything." Emily argued. "They will both blame it on the moon or something stupid and act like nothing happened."

"They are both pretty good at avoidance." Garcia agreed.

"I'm not sure what you think we can do?" Rossi asked.

Derek frowned. "Maybe we should try locking them in a room together. Force them to deal with their feelings."

"I would suggest using a soundproof room." Reid remarked. "They are very combustible together. We lock them together they might just explode. I saw it happen, I don't want to hear it too."

"How do you suggest we get them in a room together?" Emily asked laughingly. "JJ's not going to be receptive."

Reid nodded in agreement. "I think Hotch will be."

"Then why did he just leave, Smarty-pants." Garcia grouched. She wasn't very happy with the Boss Man at the moment.

"It might interest you all to know that I came back and locking us in a room won't be necessary."

"And what do you mean I'm not receptive? I'll have you know I'm very receptive."

The team turned around to find the pair hand in hand.

"Hey guys." Morgan said. "What's going on?" He looked pointedly at their joined hands.

Rossi grinned at the pair and could resist ribbing Hotch. "Hey didn't I see you with another gal earlier?"

"Oh, looks like the Boss Man traded up!" Garcia announced clapping her hands excitedly.

Hotch sighed and looked at Reid and Prentiss. "Anyone else have anything to say?"

Emily grinned. "Please I'm the only one _not_ surprised by this. I saw this coming for miles." She looked at Morgan and Garcia and couldn't resist saying one more time, "I told you so."

Reid turned to Emily. "Actually, I suspected that Hotch has been interested for a long while. I didn't realize that JJ returned the sentiment until I actually saw them – " He stopped speaking abruptly. "That is, I'm not completely surprised by the turn of events either."

Hotch nodded. "Good. Anyone have any problems with this?"

If anything Rossi's grin grew. "Define this." He laughed when the pair both glared at him. "I'm kidding! Two of our favorite people finding happiness together, what could possibly be better?" He moved forward and kissed both of them on the cheek.

**6 months later on another moonlit night….**

"I got to be honest. I did not see this coming." Prentiss commented as she took a sip of her champagne.

Morgan scoffed, "Come on, Hotch is a pretty traditional guy, you really didn't think this would happen?"

"It's just so beautiful." Garcia cried into her soggy tissue. "I'm just so happy for them."

Rossi looked over at the pair standing on the balcony engaged in a tender embrace. "Eh, I kind of get where Emily is coming from. It took JJ four years and a hostage situation to agree to marry Will."

Reid smiled over at the pair in the moonlight. "Well JJ didn't agree to anything, she was the one that did the asking."

And they lived happily ever after…

Thank you for reading! A big thank you to those of you that left me a review and/or followed the story. It is very much appreciated.


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